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Issues - Julia Michaels |

Songwriter turned into an artist with a hit song, Julia Michaels has had support from internationally-known artists and now she's quickly becoming internationally famous herself. This week she reached number ten on the UK singles chart; with Ed Sheeran still at number one with "Shape of You", it opens the top 10 to my music video Chart Monday reviews, and this was literally my only option. I'm not exactly a fan of the song, but I admire her for her songwriting career, and it looks like she's made it as an artist too now. Watch Julia Michaels reveal that she and her lover has "Issues" and problems, yet there's an obvious attraction between the pair.

Julia Michaels has been a permanent mention within my blog posts since she has written some of the best songs by my favourite artists, people like Britney Spears, Fifth Harmony. Rita Ora, Little Mix, Nick Jonas, and Sofia Carson. Now she has the spotlight all to herself, and her song has gained momentum, It took some time, but "Issues" is a definite grower of a song, which is why it has now started charting well globally, months after it was released. The song was written by Julia Michales, Benjamin Levin, Tor Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen, and Justin Tranter.

Directed by Tabitha Denholm, the music video shows Julia Michaels singing to her love interest, who is played by actor Alexander Koch - who some may know him from Under The Dome, where he played James "Junior" Rennie.

The opening scene sees them both in bed together, under the covers. There's clear chemistry between the two, chemistry I wish I had with someone, but nope, I'm single; while snapshots show her singing in the kitchen. She walks to the bedroom, but he's no longer in her bed - where has he gone?

She walks outside to what looks like an outhouse, where he is talking with another woman, who turns out to be Julia Michaels all dressed up. As a party ensues, she watches him across the room as he flirts and connects with another woman. Julia Michaels sidles up to another guy, and Alexander Koch's jealous stare is all too obvious. It's clear that the party was the night before, and while everyone went to sleep, Julia Michaels gets up off her chair and dances all alone, as he sits back and watches.

Closing scenes see them in the bed together again. It's cute and goes well with the narrative of the song, but I feel a slight disconnect, to be fair I feel the same disconnection with the song itself. I think I kind of expect more from her because of her amazing songwriting skills, and I have the same feelings towards this as I do towards Ina Wroldsen's "Aliens (Her Er Jeg)". I just feel something is missing.

Rendez-Vu - Basement Jaxx |

Another one of the headliners for Birmingham Pride 2017, and another I am not so interested in, only because I feel like their an old group - they have been going for over 20 years, and they weren't a big part of my childhood. Their music isn't really my style and although some of their songs hit it big, where we all enjoyed their music; some could say that their music was overplayed for that time, and doesn't last long enough. This song is their highest chart number, at number four in the UK; yet, I barely remember the song, and even though it is quite catchy, I don't enjoy listening to it. Basement Jaxx just aren't my cup of tea, but I respect them for creating music for this long and giving some surprising hits. They have their own mark in musical history which is still there today. Watch a dog's dream turn into an interesting battle over a woman in an interesting comedic story that also includes rock, paper, scissors in the music video for Basement Jaxx's "Rendez-Vu".

Basement Jaxx are an electronic duo consisting of Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton. They have been going for over 20 years and have a number of 00's hits to their name. They have been releasing new music in recent years, but they haven't charted with these songs. They remind me a lot of Daft Punk - I think it's to do with the voice coding software used on their tracks, which is why they were so popular since that was all the range back then. I truly think they could make a comeback because Daft Punk managed to do it, but they need a hit behind them for that to happen. This song charted well globally; although, I was only six years old at the time, I barely remember the song. It was written by Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton.

The music video was directed by Evan Bernard. It is a pure narrative and totally interesting from start to finish. I believe the concept was definitely before its time, and if it were to be remade, it would look incredible now.

We watch a dog sleeping as the opening scene, and we then follow a boy to a crowd who is watching a guitarist that has a Mexican vibe going on. He is portraying a scene in his music, where we watch bikers drive over a desert, clearly on a mission. We go into the past as we see the leader telling his story, about being with a woman and having a good time with her. They are interrupted by a Mexican wrestler, who is wearing a mask and is the boyfriend of the woman, and he breaks the lover's hand, which is then replaced with a record player needle.

We then realise it's the woman who is now telling the story to her colleagues. She's working where the Mexican is playing the guitar. His story continues as the wrestlers see the bikers drive across the desert, and they plan to meet them in the village. They both arrive at the village at the same time and square one another off. A battle of rock, paper, scissors takes place with the winner getting the girl.

At the end, the dog wakes up and we realise it's all been a scenario in the dog's dream, and it wasn't actually true. It's cute that the dog dreams about these sorts of things, although I don't see how the overall storyline relates to the song specifically. It's interesting and fun, but it's not something I'd happily watch again.

Be the One - Dua Lipa |

Starting my Birmingham Pride 2017 Special is Dua Lipa, who is one of the headliners for this year's event. I'm not really into her music, and I definitely won't be in the main tent watching her, but I have to admit that she is one of the biggest up-and-coming female artists out at the moment, and she's slowly getting some hits behind her. However, I truly believe she's on a rocky fence, she needs a massive chart-topping hit soon or she might just completely crumble, like so many artists we've seen before. She's extremely current right now, she just needs to stand the test of time, and a chart-topping hit will do exactly that for her right now. With her debut, eponymous album prepared to release the week after Birmingham Pride, she's got to have an exciting new track that will blow us away, otherwise, she will end up disappearing. Watch Dua Lipa perform in this music video for "Be The One" that was filmed around Soho, London. See her sing her song amongst the streets we all know.

Dua Lipa is a fairly new artist on the scene, but she has already had some great chart numbers, this one being her best hit to date; although her collaborations with Sean Paul helped the success of this song for sure. Their track together, titled "No Lie", also charted in the top ten in the same week that this song did. She just needs to keep a hold of her fame and bring another chart-topping hit, it's the one thing she hasn't done yet, and this song just isn't that. It was written by Lucy Taylor and Nicholas James Gale (Digital Farm Animals).

The music video was directed by Nicole Nodland. It's a pure performance visual, and it's the type of presence we're probably are to expect from her on the Birmingham Pride 2017 stage. It's chilled back and relaxed, whilst she portrays the emotion for the song.

There's various London streets being shown, that are easily identifiable, enough where I know I've walked there before. There are some great profile scenes and the editors have done a fine job with this as an overall piece.

However, Dua Lipa just isn't my sort of performer, I just don't feel the passion behind this song that she needs to delve deep and deliver to me. Her voice is strong, don't get me wrong, but I truly don't think she'll become as big as others have in the past. She's very current, and very right now, but I don't think she will be able to stand the test of time, and I'm still quite surprised she's a headline act at Birmingham Pride, especially since she hasn't even released her debut album yet. However, the same could've been said about Jess Glynne back in 2015 when she was a headline act at Birmingham Pride 2015, so Dua Lipa might just follow in her footsteps - well, minus the number one singles, obviously.

Hey Ma (feat. Camila Cabello) - J Balvin & Pitbull |

Out of all the releases this week, this is the only one I've actually bought. There are two versions of this song and two versions of this music video (although they are very similar). One of them is in Spanish with Pitbull & J Balvin as the main artists, and then there's this English version as J Balvin & Pitbull - which was released today. There isn't much difference between both music videos, hence why you can find the previously released Spanish version below. This song is part of The Fate of The Furious (Fast & Furious 8), and as a soundtrack music video, there are scenes from the film in this visual. Watch J Balvin and Pitbull's English/Spanish music video for "Hey Ma" that features Camila Cabello for The Fate of The Furious, as they dance and sing amongst cars.

J Balvin, real name José Balvin, first came to my attention when he collaborated with Inna, on her song "Cola Song". I actually have to sing his name every time I read it - just like he does in the said song. He also collaborated with Sofia Carson for "Love In The Name". But this is the first song of his I've heard, the first one that he doesn't appear as a feature - instead, he's the main singer. He's a Columbian latin singer and has won a few awards for his songs, yet this one is definitely going to give him more of a spotlight, especially teaming up with American rapper Pitbull - who has also had success with Latin-inspired music as well as thousands of different genres. His real name is Armando Pérez, and has also worked with Inna - twice, but mainly known for "Good Time". He's a successful international artist, and there is definitely no stopping Pitbull. Featured on this track is Camila Cabello, now officially away from Fifth Harmony, she's stepping up her game and pushing her name out there through featured tracks. Having already been successful on collaborations with Shawn Mendes and Machine Gun Kelly, on tracks "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Bad Things", we're sure her career is going to go places in the future. This song was written by Armando Christian Pérez (Pitbull), José Balvin (J Balvin), Karla Estrabao (Camila Cabello), Jamie Sanderson, Tinashe Sibanda, Philip Kembo, Soaky Siren, and Johnny Yukon.

Directed by Gil Green, the music video is definitely spicy and sexy. It has quite the Spanish flair to it, and as an English version, it's not quite so intimate as the Spanish version is (which can be found at the bottom of this review).

The opening scene is a welcome sight, as we watch Camila Cabello walk the streets and interact with the people around her; before making eyes at J Balvin who kicks off the singing. There are some great interactions between this trio, although it looks like Pitbull was unavailable on the first day since he isn't in the scene with Camila Cabello and J Balvin; instead, he jumps out of a car that looks like it's from the set of The Fate of the Furious (Fast & Furious 8). He's scene involves him dancing in the middle of a group of women dancing around him. Typical Pitbull, and yet he's stylish and looking cool, in his posh clothes. He's not the best dancer, but he knows that and rolls with it, giving his scene perfect fire.

There are a few scenes from the film they are promoting, although not enough that it distracts from the music video itself. The film is something that I do plan to see, but I don't think this music video shows enough to make people want to see the film.

As the music video progresses, there's a night scene with J Balvin and Camila Cabello. It's sexy and full of flirting, and they do well to show just that. But our favourite scene is where the whole trio is dancing together in front of the camera. Unfortunately, it's clear that lighting was a problem with this specific scene, but they've done well with it and all three of them clearly got along well.

Overall, it's a Latin-inspired music video, that feels so right when you are watching the Spanish version of the song. As for the English version, it doesn't quite fit so well. It's clear that that language doesn't quite belong in this specific place. Regardless, the English version is something radio will be playing, and as it gets warmer here we expect this to become an early summer anthem for us all.

Buy on iTunes (English Version)
Buy on iTunes (Spanish Version)

Hey Ma (feat. Camila Cabello) (Spanish Version) - Pitbull & J Balvin

Put Your Graffiti On Me - Kat Graham |

There are two music videos to this, and I'm not entirely sure which one is the official video, regardless I chose to review this one as it was the first video that was released and features more scenes. However, I do prefer the other one in comparison, and I'm not the only one since the other one has a million more views than this one. Putting comparisons aside, I might review the other one sometime in the future but for now, we're sticking with this one. Watch Kat Graham dance her way sexily through this music video with some killer choreography segmented with intricate profile scenes during this music video for "Put Your Graffiti On Me".

Kat Graham is best known for playing Bonnie Bennett in The Vampire Diaries. Some may know her from Honey 2 playing Maria Ramirez, but this music video shows her in a whole new light. I chose this song because I recently reviewed "Sometimes" earlier this week, and for my Thursday Revisit I was interested to see if she's reflecting who she really is in her music and the accompanying music videos, and she surely is. She's sexy, confident, and fierce, both on the tracks and in their respective music videos. This song is her biggest hit to date (if you don't count her uncredited vocals on will.i.am's "Got It From My Mama"). The song was written by Nick Audino, Lewis Hughes, Sam Watters, and Matt Bair.

Directed by Benny Boom, the music video heavily features dance choreography from Sheryl Murakami, however as the second music video for "Put Your Graffiti On Me" reveals, a lot of the dancing was cut completely out, for profile visuals, which doesn't quite add anything to the music video, if anything it makes it less engaging.

She shines throughout the dancing segments, whilst fades in the profile pieces. Kat Graham is a performer, she's destined to stand on a stage and fully unleash energetic dancing vibes out to a crowd. The scenes where she's singing the song fail to keep the audience interested. She attempts to be sexy and stylish, and although she can pull it off, the dark themes surrounding her just makes them fall flat.

Overall, this video could be much better, and the second version proves that it can be. The video just fails to keep us interested throughout; however, Kat Graham remains fierce and attempts to bring it, which slightly saves the video.

No More Sad Songs (feat. Machine Gun Kelly) - Little Mix |

I was wondering what music video to review today and this one just popped in my head out of nowhere... How I haven't reviewed this before today, I have no idea. At first, we didn't think this collaboration would totally work, but the girls and Machine Gun Kelly has knocked it out of the park, well except for the country-themed music video that doesn't exactly relate since the song is an upbeat club song that we'll be dancing to on the dancefloor some night. Watch Little Mix stroll into a bar that is filled with cowboys and a rapper who goes by the name Machine Gun Kelly, in their music video for "No More Sad Songs".

Little Mix are a four-piece girl band consisting of Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson. They won The X Factor's eighth series in 2011 and are still the only group to have ever won the UK contest show. They have gone on to receive global attention, and have had many hit singles. They've been trying to crack America, and although their albums have charted amazingly over there, they have yet to have a massive hit single in the US. This may have been why they teamed up with Machine Gun Kelly for a whole new version of this song. His real name is Richard Colson Baker, and he has had a massive hit with Camila Cabello titled "Bad Things". He can also be seen in the film Nerve. He recently released a new song with Hailee Steinfeld titled "At My Best" as he prepares to release a new album, we presume. This song was written by Emily Warren, Edvard Førre Erfjord, Henrik Michelsen, and Tash Phillips.

Directed by Marc Klasfeld, this cowboy-themed music video is definitely an attempt to appeal to the American fans. Although, my main problem is that the song is still a club song, and what makes it worse is that a rapper sings on it too. We do not have country-rap yet; or, if we do, it's not popular. They could've remixed the song to fit the music video.

The opening scene sees an old man playing "Shout Out To My Ex" on a guitar, in front of the bar. The girls go inside and have quite a bit of fun. There's country dancing (to a club song, like, seriously?), there's pool playing, there's a rodeo, and then there's getting all wet via the tap machines.

The girls and Machine Gun Kelly are super sexy throughout, with MGK looking totally hot. This was a perfect pairing, but they seem totally out of place in the country-themed music video, even if the girls are wearing cowgirl inspired clothing, including cowboy chaps and cowboy hats.

Overall, I do love the music video, but I feel that the theme doesn't go with the song. However, having said that, the song itself works with the slight narrative of the song. I'm in sorts when it comes to the rating, and I reckon without the addition of Machine Gun Kelly, this would probably be low, but he manages to break it up nicely.

Million Eyes - Loïc Nottet |

In case you missed it, I reviewed Loïc Nottet's debut album for CelebMix; I suggest you either click on the link or click on the text on the right sidebar, of my website, that says "Album Review: Loïc Nottet - Million Eyes" →. I also suggest you buy the album from iTunes because it is absolutely incredible, and I would say that it knocks Ed Sheeran's "÷ (Divide)" out of the stratosphere, and that's saying something and a half! This song is the first single from "Selfocracy", his debut album, and it's incredible. to say the least, and don't even get me started on the music video. Watch Loïc Nottet emotionally sing "Million Eyes" in this music video for the song, whilst nailing a passionate sexy dance sequence that includes getting completely wet.

Loïc Nottet is a Belgian singer who rose to fame in 2014 when he came second on the third series of The Voice Belgique. He then went on to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. He came 4th in the Grand Final, with his song "Rhythm Inside"; it is Belgium's best placing since 2003. After the competition, he took part in the sixth series of the French TV show Danse avec les stars, where he went on to win the show - yes, finally he won a contest! Now he's released his debut album, and it has completely blown me away! "Selfocracy" is an album we all need in our lives. This song was released ahead of the album as the first single. It charted well in Belgium and France, unsurprisingly due to his popularity in both countries. It was written by Luuk Cox, Loïc Nottet, and Army Morrey.

The music video was directed by Zeb Daemen. It has a black and white filter and using lighting to its advantage. I don't usually like black & white filtered music videos, but it helps to get the emotion of this visual across much better; I couldn't imagine this in colour, it just wouldn't work as well.

It's a solid performance piece throughout. But what outstands us is the amazing choreography that Loïc Nottet pulls off perfectly. This song clearly means a lot to him and so he's completely passionate through his dancing, wanting to get across the meaning of this song visually, and it totally pays off.

Overall, it's dramatic, enticing, sexy, and heartfelt. Visually, it's amazing on its own, but paired with this emotional song, it's beyond brilliant. Loïc Nottet is a global superstar in the making, he deserves to become someone everyone is talking about, and his album is a complete masterpiece. I encourage you to download or stream "Selfocracy" now, and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Solo Dance - Martin Jensen |

The global sensation has hit the UK, and I've been watching this rise on the charts for a few weeks now, and finally, it has cracked the top 10. With Ed Sheeran still at number one with "Shape of You", and every other song in the top 10 UK Singles Chart already been reviewed by me - or doesn't have a music video for me to review, this was my only option this week. The song is upbeat and catchy with a dance number of a music video. Watch a group of dancers act out a story narrative of attraction through amazing choreography for this exciting music video for Martin Jensen's "Solo Dance".

Martin Jensen is a Danish DJ who has been mixing for over ten years. He became virally known for using sounds from other viral videos and turning them into tropical house mixes. He started releasing singles in 2014, starting off with "Sí", which was a viral hit due to Martin Jensen incorporating Cristiano Ronaldo's celebration at the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or. As each single was released he became more and more popular, he's recent "All I Wanna Do" charted in a few countries; but now, this single has become a global sensation, and Martin Jensen has finally got the chart success he clearly deserves, he just needs to follow up and follow through with another awesome single. This was written by Martin Jensen, Lene Dissing, Mads Hjerl-Hansen, and Peter Bjørnskov.

Directed by Nicolas Tobias Følsgaard and choreographed by Tobias Ellehammer; the music video has intricate dance sequences throughout that are beyond perfection. Martin Jensen makes an appearance at the DJ decks, playing this song. The dancers in the visual are: Dylan Mayoral, Haeni Kim, Anders Deeno Nielsen, Sandra Brünnich, Remi Black, Enej Jurečič, Žiga Jurečič, Michel Patric Sian, Lianne Lee May, and Cilia Trappaud.

We open up watching two characters have an attraction as soon as their eyes meet, but when the guy gets ready to talk to her, another dancer sweeps in. Bad luck, or so we thought. As we go to the main floor, we see that it's all going off with amazing dance techniques.

Soon enough, our main character is centre stage, with all eyes on him. In perfect time with the music, he just stops. The silence feels like it lasts longer than it actually does as we wonder if he has done enough to impress the girl. It turns out that he has, and she appears behind him as they dance together, fully bringing it.

The choreography of this music video is completely incredible. This is what I would love to be involved in one day, but I'll just marvel at how impressive it is since my professional dancing career stopped years ago. The closest I come to getting that feeling back is on the dancefloors in clubs. Now, my career involves watching awesome music videos like this one that relates to the song perfectly and giving the best ratings out to the music videos that impress me the most, such as this one. Can't wait to see what Martin Jensen will release next!

Hurt - Christina Aguilera |

Today, I have been catching up with Vocea României Junior (because Inna is a coach), and one contestant stood out completely; Voicu Dumitraș sang this song "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera and it took my breath away. Only a few people can sing and nail that song, and he's now one of them! The original is the best version, as per usual, but I think it's one of Christina Aguilera's more underrated songs, especially considering it's chart placement in some countries, like number 11 in the UK, like seriously? Watch Christina Aguilera's circus-themed music video to "Hurt" where she grieves over the death of her father, who she had seen just that day, yet fame took her away from talking to him.

Christina Aguilera is one of the biggest female singers in the world, but just like many others, she hasn't been hitting the chart numbers globally, like she used to. Although that doesn't mean she can't make a comeback, many others have done so and knocked it out for the park. This song is filled with such emotion and hits every note; it really is a hard song to cover, and I don't think anyone could do it any more justice than Christina Aguilera. Just a shame that it didn't chart so well globally, it only hit number 19 on the US Billboard Charts. The song was written by Christina Aguilera, Linda Perry, and Mark Ronson. It was inspired by Linda Perry's loss of her father.

Directed by Christina Aguilera and Floria Sigismondi. It is set in a circus, and is very different to Britney Spears' "Circus", so don't get them confused. This one is more of a period setting, with a black and white filter for the beginning to establish that. We also hear Linda Perry's voice at the start as the audience are introduced to the circus.

In colour, we see Christina Aguilera get given a telegram; on it, it says "We respect to inform you of the death of your father on the day of 02/09/1947", we then watch a flashback of the time she spent at the circus with her dad as a child, and we see where she got the inspiration to become a circus performer.

Throughout, we watch how her day went, where she saw her father in the audience and even touched his hand at the end of the show where she was being interviewed. We see a few memories, and we see her fall to the ground in front of the circus tent, fully grieving.

This is a passionate song and a brilliant coinciding music video. Christina Aguilera really shows that she's not just an amazing singer, but she's a great actress too. She fully proves herself in this, and she deserves a lot more credit for what she does. I hope that new music is on the way and I hope she releases a global hit that gets everyone talking about her again.

Seasons Change - Dead Lavender |

I recently reviewed this for Outlet Magazine, and I found it so catchy, I just had to review it for my blog, not only that but I'm definitely a fan of Dead Lavender now, and I'm excited to see what the future will bring for this duo. Shot in Los Angeles, V & Oliver of Dead Lavender bring a 90's colour grading and VCR filters for this amazing visual of a music video for debut single "Seasons Change".

Dead Lavender are a London-based production and vocalist duo consisting of V & Oliver. Deciding to focus solely on the music, they choose to remain anonymous. The electronic-chill sound of this debut single easily showcases what the duo are all about, whilst switching it up around trap, house, dance, and synth-wave. This duo is set for big things, I can feel it in their sound, and I'm so excited to see what the future will bring for Dead Lavender. The single was written by V & Oliver.

Produced by V & Oliver, the music video uses 90's colour grading and VCR filters. This gives the video quite the retro look, whilst adding current themes throughout. Although V & Oliver shy away from the camera, keeping their anonymity, they are visible (well, we presume it's them in the visual).

The male vocalist has a performance scene in this music video. He brings it with full-out energy, we know he's passionate about the song, and although we can't see his face, thanks to the tilted cap; we can see that he is quite the performer and manages to invite the audience into this emotional and honest song. If this duo were to team up with Sia, then our world would be complete, as that would be beyond perfection.

As for the woman, we see her walking through pillars, hiding from the camera and shying away. Once again, we don't see her face, but she gives a great acting performance. We presume these two main characters are V & Oliver that make up the duo Dead Lavender.

Overall, this is an exciting debut music video and single. It's effortlessly catchy, and one that I have definitely added to my iTunes. It's an interesting music video and one that goes so well with the song. It adds a bit of mysteriousness to the song, even if there isn't much going on. The audience feels included throughout. I like how the artist, possibly, included themselves in the music video whilst keeping anonymous throughout. I'm excited for their next single and music video (which will be out soon apparently).

Sometimes - Kat Graham |

Here she is; we all know her as Bonnie Bennett from The Vampire Diaries, now she's ready to leave the witch in her past as she now has the ability to focus on her music career; especially now that The Vampire Diaries has completely finished. Looking stylishly sexy throughout, Kat Graham brings it when it comes to dancing in this killer music video for "Sometimes"; proving that Bonnie Bennett is just a character in her past.

Kat Graham is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She has got it all and is definitely a triple threat. Following in the footsteps of many amazing stars who also have established careers in both acting and singing, we're sure Kat Graham will become the next Jennifer Lopez or Hilary Duff. Having already been in music for many years (she was an uncredited vocalist for a few will.i.am songs, including the hit "I Got It From My Mama"), she hasn't really managed to promote her music that much, although she is building upon it with a collection of singles and an album, the latter of which was released in 2015. This song was written by Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Jean-Yves "Jeeve" Ducornet, and Katerina Graham.

There are certain parts of the song that reminds me of "Grease (Is The Word)", specifically the version Jessie J sang for Grease Live. Regardless, Kat Graham's vocals are on point throughout, and even though she isn't the greatest singer in the world, the song compliments her vocal range whilst allowing for a choreographed music video.

It was directed and choreographed by Marc Cleary and Oskar Rodriguez. Shot through two takes, the music video is split mid-way through, as we watch her enter the performing room. This slightly loses the audience as we adjust to the complete change of scene. This style of music video really includes the audience allowing them to feel they are on set, just like with Sabrina Carpenter's "Thumbs", but having it split up into two parts without reason is quite off-putting.

As for the performance side of things, Kat Graham shows her dance ability, which we were already aware of from the popular film 'Honey 2', where she starred as the main character, Maria Ramirez. She nails every dance sequence, with her backing dancers, bringing energetic flair that has been waiting to be released. She also looks stunning throughout this visual.

Overall, it's a solid music video, that really includes the audience - well, right up until the split. Kat Graham is fierce throughout, making sure the spotlight is on her. Girl, you've definitely got this. She's totally an up-and-coming all-rounder of a star, and although we don't see this song charting that well, it'll remain a song we won't be able to get out of our heads for the rest of the day.

Wanted - Hunter Hayes |

I'm actually so surprised that I have not reviewed this music video before today; what a perfect excuse to review it for my Thursday Revisit. This song came to my attention on a compilation album; on first listen, I fell in love with this song and quickly became a Hunter Hayes fan; and the rest is history. Hunter Hayes has this amazing ability to flood a song with emotion, so much so that you can tell he means every single lyric he is singing. This song literally makes me cry everytime I hear it because all I want is someone who wants to make me feel wanted. Watch Hunter Hayes perform this song passionately at a piano whilst the song lyrics are displayed all around him, intercut with visuals of the girl he's singing about in the "Wanted" music video.

Hunter Hayes pretty much made his career off the back of this song, which was his second single, the follow-up to "Storm Warning". It hit number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's sad to think it never became a hit in the UK. He has since released many other singles and a couple of albums as well. He is gearing up to release brand new music sometime this year. He recently released the music video to "Yesterday's Song", the single of which was dropped in September 2016. This song was written by Hunter Hayes and Troy Verges.

Directed by BIRDmachineBIRD, who consists of Patrick Hubik and Traci Goudie; the music video is mainly a performance piece, showcasing Hunter Hayes emotion for this song.

It's clear that Hunter Hayes can fully perform this song perfectly, easily showing how much the song means to him in the visual as well as on the track itself. Not many people can perform well sitting at a piano, but Hunter Hayes is here to show us all how it is done; even if we are slightly distracted by the lyrics that are displayed all around him.

There are snippets of a potential narrative, it shows Hunter Hayes with a love interest, who he is singing this song about. The main scene we see is them riding a bike together. It's lovely, but I feel there isn't enough of these clips shown throughout the video, but then again I wouldn't want to take away any of Hunter Hayes amazing performance piece. It's a great relatable music video that works with the song perfectly.

Yesterday's Song - Hunter Hayes |

Talk about a look-back music video... Hunter Hayes has delivered his best music video yet, and did I mention how handsome he looks in this? Hunter Hayes is fully maturing into a gorgeously sexy man that we can't stop watching. This song and it's accompanying visual is a great throwback to his previous songs and music videos, whilst heading in a new direction for his new music. I'm totally excited to find out what his new music is like. I'm sure we all are. Watch Hunter Hayes glance at his past as he finds his a whole new direction. "Yesterday's song" is a reflection on his life and career so far, and works well as a music video.

Hunter Hayes is an American country music artist who has been very busy with new music this year, that we bet he can't wait to unleash on to his fans. He's one of many country stars who have attempted to hit the UK market, but Hunter Hayes went above and beyond by changing some of his most-known songs into pop versions, so much so he released a whole new album with the intention to crack the UK music industry, and although the album did chart - at 85 - it still shows that country music doesn't do so well over here in the UK. But other artists have managed to do it, and if Hunter Hayes continues to focus on doing so then I'm sure he'll make it over here as well. All it can take is one hit song. This song is one of his latest singles. It was released in September 2016, but the music video just dropped this week at the end of March 2017. I'm ready for new music, you are all ready for new music, so Hunter Hayes get to it and release something fresh! This song was written by Hunter Hayes, Barry Dean, and Martin Johnson.

This awesome music video was directed by Ryan Hamblin. I wasn't sure what to expect when it started, especially when Hunter Hayes picks up the broken mirror ball. To be fair, I've always wanted to know what a broken mirror ball was like, so at least I know now.

After placing the mirror ball back down, he finds a much bigger one that has crashed down on the building he's in. He heads over to it in a flippant way and enters inside. We follow him and see mirrors everywhere reflecting his previous music videos from "Wanted" to "Storm Warning" to "Invisible". It's great to see how far he's come.

Inside the mirror ball, there is a woman walking in the background with a mirror ball as a head, probably a reference to the girl he's singing about in his songs, therefore suggesting that he's moved on from her now and from writing songs about that person. This is how I interpret the song's meaning. We also see a guy in a business suit, who also has a mirror ball as a head. He displays a case full of cash, Now all the gay guys are suddenly interested (jokes); personally I think it's a business deal, suggesting that he's done things he's not proud of, probably sang songs he didn't really like, in the chance to have money; maybe he's been offered deals to go down a different route but he's sticking to his direction/ He finally finds a way out of the mirror ball and follows down the path he wants to take.

The ending scene sees him running towards a mirror, to which he jumps through, ready to start his next career path. And we're totally jumping through that mirror with him as all his fans continue to support him.

This music video is beyond brilliant and easily relates to the song. It reflects on Hunter Hayes past and he takes his fans through his memories too. It's incredibly engaging and something I could watch over and over again, and that isn't because of how hot he looks in the music video; well maybe a little bit. This music video deserves awards, and it's getting a high rating from me.

Deja vu - Prince Royce & Shakira |

This is currently YouTube Trending at the moment, and I just felt like it's about time Prince Royce graced my blog. Something new and something different for today's review. A bit of a latin flair, although I'm not so convinced that this was a good collaboration, especially with Shakira constantly looking at the camera in this music video. Watch Shakira dance with various guys whilst Prince Royce performs on stage before coming down and dancing with his collaborator in this music video for "Deja Vu".

Prince Royce, real name Geoffrey Royce Rojas, is one of the biggest latin pop male artists in America. He has sung with a multitude of different artists including Jennifer Lopez and Daddy Yankee. I don't think he'll ever manage to appeal to the UK market, if you all thought country is hard to sell to the UK, you should see how latin pop does, because that rarely touches the UK charts, if at all. However, Shakira has charted in the UK plenty of times, and so have some majorly influential latin pop songs. If Prince Royce were to attempt to crack the UK market, I'm sure he would be able to do so. Collaborating on this track with Shakira, full name Shakira Ripoll; their voices work well together. She's definitely one of the top female artists in the music industry, although her latin pop songs don't fare well in the UK either. To be honest, I'm not so sure of what to make of this song as a collaboration. It was written by Geoffrey Royce Rojas, Daniel Santacruz, Manny Cruz, Kevin Mauricio Jiménez Londoño, and Bryan Snaider Lezcano Chaverra.

The music video is mainly a performance piece with a subtle narrative. We see Shakira dancing with various partners before inviting the singer on stage to come down and dance with her, the singer of which is Prince Royce.

The performance pieces are very separate, with Shakira's taking place in a different room, she looks as sexy as ever and pretty much doesn't look like she ages at all. She's looking fierce throughout and giving direct eye contact with the camera. This is usually good in her own music videos, but Prince Royce comes off much better.

He gets involved in the visual, continuing to include the audience within. He looks much more professional and makes Shakira seem less so as she is constantly looking at the camera.

The ending scene should've been sexy and interesting, but as Prince Royce continues to look at Shakira giving her his full attention, her eyes are looking at us, and it just doesn't come off all that great.

Overall, the video isn't all that bad, and it kind of works, I suppose. Yet, Shakira kind of lets the video down throughout, grabbing the spotlight and keeping it on her throughout. It feels like she's trying to create a battle between them, yet Prince Royce isn't interested in fighting for the spotlight.

Ciao Adios - Anne-Marie |

Finally, the chart has sorted itself out, slightly; and I can finally get back to my Chart Mondays reviews, now that Ed Sheeran isn't dominating quite so much, he's still at number one with "Shape of You", though. I'm so glad Anne-Marie has got into the top 10 with this awesome song, she's been fighting for her career, and finally, it's paying off and people are noticing her like they should. She's been on my radar for over a year now and I have supported her ever since. I'm excited to see her progress and become someone everyone is talking about. Watch Anne-Marie perform with her girls in this music video for "Ciao Adios" that has got us all copying her dance moves.

Anne-Marie, full name Anne-Marie Nicholson, has really come into her own, and that was definitely with the help of Rudimental and Clean Bandit, especially the latter where she featured on "Rockabye" which became a UK number one hit for weeks on end. She's an inspiration to us all as she really has developed her own sound and kept true to herself whilst building a career for herself. She's managed to become someone everyone's talking about, and I'm so proud to see that she's finally at that stage. She just needs to hold on to her fame, but her genuine personality and her real songs are what will allow her to continue to succeed. This song is at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, hence why I'm reviewing the music video. "Ciao Adios" was written by Anne-Marie Nicholson, Tom Meredith, Jennifer Decilveo, and Mason Levy.

The music video is a pure performance visual with Anne-Marie totally releasing performance vibes, and she definitely gets kudos for the dancing, although it's a shame it's cut up so much by the editing team; I want to learn the chorus dance moves.

Following a perfect theme from "Alarm", it's clear her debut album is going to be complete fire! We see her giving this music video her all, whilst being relaxed and trendy at the same time.

The choreography is easy for people to copy and I can so see youngsters doing the "Ciao Adios" dance; I'll be there at her concert doing it myself! As per usual, she's a trendsetter, making her mark in the music industry with iconic but different songs. She is one to watch for sure, and she performed amazingly at Birmingham Pride 2016 - I hope she returns to that stage this year.

In the Dark - Dev |

I woke up with this song in my head... Whatever happened to Dev? That was the question I was wondering as I was singing this song during my morning routine. This song charted all right globally, but it was the start of her music career slowing down. This song is catchy for reasons we don't know, probably because of the beat behind it. Watch Dev be all sexy and suggestive of dancing "In The Dark" during this music video, although there's not a lot of dancing going on, just a lot of freaky hands.

Dev, real name Devin Tailes, apparently has a second studio album set to be released soon, although the lead single of which "#1" was released a whole year ago. Has promotion of this said album just ceased? Where is the comeback of Dev? Her sexually induced vocals are what makes this track lit, along with all her other songs, from the features to her solos. What's surprising is that she hasn't held on to her fame, she was all the range back in 2011/2012, with the possibility to become one of the leading female artists, but she didn't keep her momentum and soon fell. Yet, all it takes is one new hit song, and she'll be back once again. This song was written by Devin Tailes, Niles Hollowell-Dhar, and David Singer-Vine.

Directed by Ethan Lader, the music video incorporates a sexy vibe with a dark and mysterious feel to it all. It's a pure performance piece with Dev looking as hot as she can be.

It comes off really weird, in my opinion. It has a club energetic feel to it, and there are scenes where she's on the dancefloor clubbing away. They are dancing in the dark, but I'm expecting a full-out choreographed scene and that is nowhere in sight,

On the other hand, or should that be on the scary hand? Dev brings it during the performance, being sultry throughout and relating to the sexy tone of her voice. Yet there's something majorly missing and the video doesn't come off the way we all think it should.

There's just too much light and shade with it not directly linking in with the song all that much. Dev isn't really doing mush during the visual and that fails to keep the audience interested. It would be stunning if it were a photoshoot, but it's a music video, and it doesn't quite work.

Speak to Me - Amy Lee |

This is beyond beautiful; this is beyond stunning; this is beyond anything we've ever seen from her yet. The frontwoman of Evanescence has this amazing music video for her new single "Speak To Me" and Amy Lee totally brings it like you wouldn't believe. This came up in my YouTube recommendations, and I have actually been waiting for this, so I clicked on this straight away and just had to review it for my blog. I almost cried, almost. Watch Amy Lee, the frontwoman of Evanescence, deliver a gorgeous visual for her song "Speak To Me" that is a soundtrack theme song for the film "Voice From The Stone".

Amy Lee is best known for being the frontwoman of the band Evanescence, who are supposed to be returning to music soon. For the time being, she has been focusing on her solo career as well as looking after her son. This song proves that Amy Lee can really truly sing. You may know her for her rock songs, and undeniably she can sing rock really well. Evanescence would not have gained a number one single with "Bring Me To Life" if it wasn't for her amazing vocals, but this song right here shows her vocal range, shows her versatility, and also shows her ability to flood a song with raw emotion. Amy Lee deserves so much more credit than what she has, and if there's one singer that is underrated and underestimated, it's her. This song is intricately stunning, it's perfection. This should be a global hit. It was written by Amy Lee and Michael Wandmacher.

The music video was directed by Eric D. Howell, It shows Amy Lee in a stunning dress, that she designed herself along with Anna Lombardi, whilst playing the piano. There are short narrative scenes that show her watching over a child.

The child looks a lot like her son Jack Lion Hartzler (it's not, though; instead, it's the director's son), and he goes around the grounds of a castle, throwing stones in the water, playing with toy trucks, running about. Throughout, Amy Lee is following, as if she's a ghost.

The narrative continues as we see short clips of Amy Lee and the child spending time together, she is wearing something different and it has a feeling that it's part of their past. Throughout, there's a hidden meaning, suggesting that Amy Lee has passed away, hence why she is looking over the boy as if she is a ghost. Then we watch the rest of the performance piece.

Emotions run wild in the performance piece, enough to break all our hearts. This song means a lot to her and she's put that in the song and the music video. There's a lot of yearning for her child in this music video, and Amy Lee easily displays that emotion to us. She makes us want to cry.

Many fans have noticed some scenes are similar to previous Evanescence videos, perhaps an ode to her previous visuals; such as the black and white visual where she is floating in the water, is very reminiscent of "My Immortal", although she has been in the water since "Going Under". Then there's the angel scene, which we can all presume has a very tiny link to the album artwork of Evanescence's first self-titled EP, from way back in 1998.

Overall, this music video is completely stunning along with the song. She has proven herself as an artist, as a singer, and as a songwriter. This song deserves a lot more recognition. As for the music video, it relates to the song perfectly, and will probably work amazingly with the film "Voice From The Stone" that will be released soon. I've been battling with the rating all day, but due to the fact that the whole narrative isn't fully displayed, with the viewers having to gather what is going on, I have dropped a star. But this is a video I can't stop watching! Bring on more stunning visuals Amy Lee!

Mo Bounce - Iggy Azalea |

She's back! The follow-up to "Team" is finally here and it has an interesting title. I must warn you not to confuse this with her previous single "Bounce", she must really like that word, or maybe this is her sequel to that previous song? Whatever the reason, this song is here and it is full-on catchy. There isn't a lot of lyrics to this song, but who cares, it's less to learn as you sing along to it. Watch Iggy Azalea twerk and dance with a bunch of women in her music video for "Mo Bounce".

Iggy Azalea, real name Amethyst Kelly, has been working hard in the studio on a new range of songs for her second studio album, this is her second song to be released from the said album which will be titled "Digital Distortion". This song is different to "Team" that was released last year, and so it's intriguing to see the direction she has taken for her new album. This song is catchy, but with Ed Sheeran dominating the charts at the moment, I doubt she'll get a look-in with this song. It was written by Amethyst Kelly, Jonathan Yip, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus, Ray McCullough, Maurice Simmonds, Kevin Nishimura, James Roh, and Virman Coquia.

Directed by Lil Internet the music video was filmed in Hong Kong. It was teased by Iggy Azalea by a series of gifs that she has been posting over the past few days.

She has always claimed that she isn't a dancer, but she could've fooled us all because that girl can twerk! She follows some sort of choreography with various other women, totally bringing it with confidence; she's fierce throughout.

There's not much else for me to talk about, the music video isn't appealing to me personally but would probably appeal to men who are interested in Iggy Azalea. I feel like she channelled Nicki Minaj for this music video. It's not something I would watch on repeat, but I guess it relates to the song.

Here Comes Goodbye - Rascal Flatts |

I thought I'd stick with the country theme this week, and choose Rascal Flatts as my Thursday Revisit after I reviewed their latest music video "Yours If You Want It". This was one of their most-watched music videos, after "What Hurts The Most", obviously. This one is highly emotional and follows the same style as their other videos. Watch Rascal Flatts perform in the music video to "Here Comes Goodbye" whilst we watch a narrative about a woman grieving over the loss of her son, who is buried next to her father.

The Rascal Flatts are a country music trio consisting of Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. They are big in the United States of America, hitting the country charts hard constantly; but, as per usual, they don't even make a mark here in the UK. Country music just doesn't do well over here, and it's disappointing to see since there are some amazing acts in that genre, and the Rascal Flatts are one of them. This charted well in the states and deserved to have been a worldwide hit, maybe they'll have one in the future, we can only hope. This song was written by Clint Lagerberg and Chris Sligh.

Directed by Shaun Silva, this wintry music video is full of emotion from start to finish, with frontman vocalist Gary LeVox shining throughout the performance visual, whilst the actors in the music video portray a heart-wrenching narrative.

The storyline isn't clear from the start, as we see a little boy playing with toy trucks whilst an old man talks about the time he was that age. The narrative continues as we watch two women grieving, they then walk out through the snow to two graves. We watch on, intrigued to work it all out, and then discovering that the woman is grieving for her son, who has sadly passed away, and his grandfather has come to take him up to heaven.

The performance piece is typical Rascal Flatts, adding all the right emotion, whilst adding energetic vibes making us all want to see them live. At least they guarantee that regardless of the song they will be singing, the Rascal Flatts will give you a show to remember.

Overall, it's another solid music video from these guys. The narrative could've been a bit more explanatory; however, it's relatable to the song as it is time to say goodbye to the lost loved ones. I hope the Rascal Flatts return with a killer album that we are all going to love, bring on their future releases.

Songs I Can't Listen To - Neon Trees |

Back to YouTube recommendations and the thumbnail made me pick this one, obviously. Neon Trees has always been a band we are all aware of, but they haven't quite had a hit. This song is full of emotion and it really does make you think. It's so sad it didn't become the hit we all needed. The music video is cute and just as emotional, although it doesn't come off real instead it's quite awkward. Watch Neon Trees perform, as frontman, Tyler Glenn, takes on one of the lead roles in the narrative storyline about a gay relationship that falls apart, in the music video for "Songs I Can't Listen To".

Neon Trees are a four-piece American rock band consisting of Tyler Glenn, Chris Allen, Branden Campbell, and Elaine Bradley. The band dropped their debut single "Animal" back in 2010 and it has been one of their biggest singles to date, as well as "Everybody Talks". This song is their most recently released single, which was a non-album single, way back in mid-2015, so I guess it's good to presume that they have plans to release a new single and album soon, if not this year then surely next year. This song was written by Tyler Glenn.

Directed by Rebecca Thomas and co-starring actor and model Dustin Lance Black as the love interest, the music video has both a narrative and a performance piece shown throughout. We watch Tyler Glenn sing this song, thinking about the past memories, the ones shared with Dustin Lance Black and the ones where he's single and alone.

The narrative shows Dustin Lance Black and Tyler Glenn listening to a song together, then shots of their loving relationship unfolds between our eyes, then the fights and the arguments follow towards the end of the video, and we can see that Tyler Glenn is singing this song because he's thinking of Dustin Lance Black, knowing that he can't listen to the songs they listened to together as it reminds him of their time as a couple.

Luckily, I haven't been able to hold a boyfriend long enough for this to happen to me, and I'm dreading the day that it does. Occasionally Tove Lo's "Talking Body" makes me think of boyfriend number one, and any song of Tulisa's, mainly "Sight of You", makes me think of boyfriend number two, but it's not to the extent where I'll stop listening to them because of it. It's just a slight reminder, but I don't feel loss at all, I am better off without them, and they only lasted a week and a half each so it wasn't a big impact on me. I shall continue to listen to those songs, and I do.

My problem with this narrative is that we don't see them kiss, it's not even properly implied, with it being cut here and there. It's always awkward when they draw in close, and I feel like it comes across as bad acting because it doesn't feel real whatsoever. Many people believe the reason is because Dustin Lance Black is the fiancé to Tom Daley. Yet, I feel the music video lacks integrity because of it.

Then there's the performance piece, which Neon Trees totally smash. Tyler Glenn is quite the performer and anyone is lucky to see them live in concert. The rest of the band is just as energetic, channelling the vibes coming from Tyler Glenn and releasing them on the instruments. This is one of the best performance pieces in a rock music video, for sure.

Overall, the video on paper should be amazing, it relates to the song perfectly and keeps the viewers entertained from start to finish. In visual, this is not entirely the case due to the plenty of awkward scenes between Tyler Glenn and Dustin Lance Black. This should've been a perfectly polished music video, but it just falls short. I also don't get the moment when they lose gravity and are suspended in air, did the soundwaves from the record really fling them into the air? That's a confusing scene for sure.

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